The marine environment has come in for a battering as overfishing, climate change and a growing population puts increased pressure on the delicate marine ecosystem. But passing legislation to protect the environment in the Cayman Islands has never been an easy task.
Tourism is one of the cornerstones of Cayman’s economy and the ultimate draw for tourists to Cayman is its turquoise sea, miles of white sandy beaches and the stunning reefs that lie underwater.
For more than three years, Cayman’s Department of Environment has been working on a review of the territory’s marine environment with a view to delivering recommendations to the government on what needs to be done to further protect the islands’ ultimate tourism product – the sea.
“We are very close to finalising our report on the public consultation we have been through,” said Gina Ebanks-Petrie, director of the Department of Environment.
Ms Ebanks-Petrie said that she hopes the report will be complete by the end of March, at which time it will be delivered to the Darwin Initiative, which funded the review, and also to the government.
“We are still working with three districts actively – Cayman Brac, East End and North Side – to review the proposed marine park zones in those districts,” Ms Ebanks-Petrie said.
Fishermen in those districts, as well as others, have raised concerns that the proposed expansion of no-take zones in marine parks would impact their livelihoods and curtail their fishing areas.
“We are not going to be able to please everyone, but we certainly want to try to respond to legitimate concerns while ensuring that we continue to have a system that will meet our conservation goals,” Ms Ebanks-Petrie said.
Among the proposed changes to the marine parks are expanding the no-take zones – from which no marine life can be extracted – from about 15 per cent of the narrow marine shelf around the islands to between 40 and 50 per cent of the shelf and extending them from shore to a depth of 200 feet, compared to the current depth of 80 feet.
Any amendments to the marine parks, if accepted, will not be done until after the May general election, as the Legislative Assembly sits for the final time this week before being dissolved on 26 March.
‘Good idea, wrong time’
Captain Bryan Ebanks, a People’s Progressive Movement candidate in West Bay who works in the water sports industry, said that while he believes more protection for the marine environment and expanding the marine parks are a good idea, it’s simply not the right time to do so.
“I’m a staunch environmentalist, but I’ve never seen before what I’m seeing in West Bay right now,” said Mr. Ebanks, describing homes where residents’ water and electricity have been cut off and people are resorting to begging to make ends meet.
He would like to see a referendum on the issue, to better gauge exactly what people think about expanding the marine parks.
“This is such a bad time to be proposing something like this,” Mr. Ebanks said. “Yes, it’s necessary and we need to do it, but we must take the people into consideration.”
“If you’re starving today, what’s the good is saying ‘here’s a half a loaf of bread for tomorrow’? he asked.
Responding to concerns that the expanded marine parks will mean that fishermen will no longer be able to gather food from the sea to sell and feed their families, Ms Ebanks-Petrie said: “We’re not stopping them. I don’t think there is any validity in that statement on two counts. Firstly, we are not stopping people fishing. Over 50 per cent of the area will still be available for them to fish. The other point is that if you look at this from an economic perspective, what we are saying is we are protecting the rights of these vulnerable groups, so they have the opportunity to be able to continue to fish in the long term …
“If we don’t take some action, the more vulnerable groups in our society will actually not be able to have the opportunity to supplement their income from fishing because there will not be any fish in there anymore.”
She added: “We understand that they see this as something else that is being taken from them, but … instead of thinking of this as something that’s being taken away from you, it is more like protecting our collective futures.”
Fishermen in Cayman Brac strongly opposed the proposals when the Department of Environment shared its findings and recommendations with them, presenting the department with a petition rejecting the proposals.
PPM Sister Islands MLA Moses Kirkconnell said he appreciated that the department took into account the feedback from local fishermen.
“Another meeting is being set up,” he said. “They are taking on board the wishes of the fishermen and the fishermen are taking on board their concerns as well. I believe that the dialogue will continue until they can reach a solution. I think there is certainly room for negotiations because there was scientific evidence of what needs to be done for preservation for the future.”
He also acknowledged the balancing act involved in protecting the environment and people’s livelihoods at the same time.
“We have to take into consideration the economic impact this has on the local people in Cayman Brac and Little Cayman and what they need as far as the marine environment,” he said. “It is a very poor economic time to implement a process to take food away from somebody … I have never seen more people fishing and getting food from the marine environment as they have recently with the economic downturn.”
West Bay United Democratic Party members McKeeva Bush and Captain Eugene Ebanks have both said publicly that they are opposed to the proposed expansion of the no-take zones because of the impact they say it will have on the fishermen and people who rely on the sea for sustenance.
Then-Premier McKeeva Bush said during a public meeting the department called in West Bay last year that he would not back the plan. At a public meeting in West Bay last month, Mr. Ebanks also opposed the expanded marine parks, saying the proposals went too far.
“The new introduction that is being proposed; we cannot support them the way they have been presented,” he said. “It will create too many difficulties for the Caymanians who have depended heavily on being able to go fishing, lobstering, conching and enjoying the marine life.”
More consultation
George Town independent candidate Stefan Baraud is in favour of further conservation efforts for Cayman’s marine environment, but he said he wants a longer public consultation period to ensure that everyone gets to express his or her view.
“I am an advocate of trying to preserve as much of our marine life as possible,” said Mr. Baraud, who acknowledges that the marine parks have long been a controversial issue.
“With the advent of the marine parks 26 or 27 years ago, that proposal met with criticism back then, but we’ve seen the benefits of having the marine parks in place,” he said. “… I am also well aware that we have to strike a balance … We need to be mindful that the marine environment plays a significant role in our culture and heritage and a lot of people depend on the marine environment for their living.”
“We must incorporate the views of the people whose livelihood depends on the marine environment,” he said, adding that he would welcome a wider consultation exercise.
He acknowledged that the department had run a wide-ranging consultation – which included social media, public meetings, numerous television and radio appearances, press conferences and other methods of engaging the public – but said: “I think that a lot of times, what h
appens in these cases is that people don’t understand the seriousness of what is actually being ushered into law and ask ‘why didn’t I have any input in this?’”
Another independent candidate for George Town, Sharon Roulstone, has been a diver since she was 12 and has seen first hand the changes to the reef.
“This is definitely a priority. It’s not something we can ignore. I’m a diver and I’ve seen the underwater world … It’s probably half the reason tourists come here – to dive or to snorkel. So much of our economy depends on this,” Ms Roulstone said.
“I don’t think we can afford to delay further legislation affecting our environment, but especially the marine environment,” she added.
She was an avid diver in her teens and her early 20s, but took a break from diving as she entered the work field and had children.
“I got away from it for a bit,” she said. “I got back into diving and thought it’d be the same as I left it, but I was in shock. I was horrified to see the amount of dead coral and lack of life there.”
Bodden Town independent candidate Errington Webster said those who opposed the expansion of the parks on the grounds that they fish them had “tunnel vision” and were disregarding the impact overfishing was having on the reef.
“Some additional measures need to be carried out to preserve the marine environment,” he said, adding that he agreed to the expansion of the borders of the marine parks and increased replenishment zones.
Dwene Ebanks, an independent candidate in West Bay, said many people in his constituency make their living from the sea, either through fishing or water sports operations. “Anything to do with the marine aspect of our national conservation is an important consideration for any West Bayer,” Mr. Ebanks said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ebanks said he opposed the department proposal to stop line fishing from shore in marine parks and expanding the parks from the shore to a depth of 200 feet, from the current 80 feet.
He said numbers quoted by the department of about 15,000 fish taken from the sea by 264 fishermen the department interviewed – 72 each per month – referred mostly to fish caught by fishermen in boats, rather than from shore and he had requested the department, at its public meeting in West Bay, to continue to allow fishing from the iron shore.
Extending the no-take zone to 200 feet deep would also make fishing more difficult for people in West Bay, Mr. Ebanks said. “It should be less than 200 feet. I think this needs to be taken back to the table due to the fact that there are many West Bayers who make their livelihoods from the sea.”
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